Political Pluralism

Pluralism (political philosophy) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Pluralism (political theory) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about a political theory called "pluralism" ... In this sense, political pluralism still applies to these aspects. ...
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Political Pluralism
Political Pluralism - The lack of absolutes of right and wrong is the bane of politically pluralistic societies and will cause their degradation.
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Value Pluralism (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
Political pluralism usually starts with the observation that there are different ... The strongest version of political pluralism claims that all these value systems ...
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pluralism: Definition from Answers.com
pluralism n. The condition of being multiple or plural. ... Political Dictionary: pluralism ... pluralism assumed a degree of economic and political parity ...
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Moral Pluralism
pluralism is the inevitable consequence of any political philosophy which emphasizes ... Political ... POLITICAL PLURALISM ...
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Political Pluralism, Arnold Kling | EconLog | Library of Economics and ...
PERMANENT LINK | AUGUST 5, 2008. Political Pluralism. Arnold Kling. EMAIL CLEAR HIGHLIGHTS ... not credit any single political view as having absolute moral ...
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Pluralism is, in the general sense, the acknowledgment of diversity. The concept is used, often in different ways, in a wide range of issues. In politics, the affirmation of diversity in the interests of its citizens, and so political pluralism is one of the most important features of modern democracy.

The term pluralism is also used to denote a theoretical standpoint on state and power - which to varying degrees suggest that pluralism is an adequate model of how power is distributed in societies. For information on the political theory of pluralism see Pluralism (political theory).

In democracy politics, pluralism is a guiding principle which permits the peaceful coexistence of different interests, convictions and lifestyles. In this context it has normative connotations absent from its use to denote a theoretical standpoint. Unlike totalitarianism or particularism, pluralism acknowledges the diversity of interests and considers it imperative that members of society accommodate their differences by engaging in good-faith negotiation.

One of the earliest arguments for pluralism came from James Madison in The Federalist Papers 10. Madison feared that factionalism would lead to in-fighting in the new American republic and devotes this paper to questioning how best to avoid such an occurrence. He posits that to avoid factionalism, it is best to allow many competing factions to prevent any one dominating the political system. This relies, to a degree, on a series of disturbances changing the influences of groups so as to avoid institutional dominance and ensure competition.

Pluralism and the common good Pluralism is connected with the hope that this process of conflict and dialogue will lead to a definition and subsequent realization of the common good that is best for all members of society. This implies that in a pluralistic framework, the common good is not given A priori and a posteriori (philosophy). Instead, the scope and content of the common good can only be found out in and after the process of negotiation (a posteriori).

Consequently, the common good does not, according to pluralists, coincide with the position of any one cohesive group or organization. However, a necessary outcome of this philosophy is that the beliefs of any particular group cannot represent Universality (philosophy). Therefore any group with a philosophy that purports to hold both absolute truth and identify the common good is wrong - their belief system is irrelevant and cannot represent truth that impacts on others who do not hold to the given belief system.

Still, one group may eventually manage to establish its own view as the generally accepted view, but only as the result of the negotiation process within the pluralistic framework. This implies that, as a general rule, the "operator" of a truly pluralistic framework, i.e. the state in a pluralistic society, must not be biased: it may not take sides with any one group, give undue privileges to one group and discriminate against another one.

Proponents of pluralism argue that this negotiation process is the best way to achieve the common good: since everyone can participate in power and decision-making (and can claim part of the ownership of the results of exercising power) there can also be widespread participation and a greater feeling of commitment from society members, and therefore better outcomes. By contrast, an authoritarianism or oligarchy society, where political power is concentrated and decisions are made by few members, forestalls this possibility.

Proponents in contemporary political philosophy of such a view include Isaiah Berlin, Stuart Hampshire and Bernard Williams. An earlier version of political pluralism was a strong current in the formation of modern social democracy, with theorists such as Harold Laski and G. D. H. Cole, as well as other leading members of the British Fabian Society. Horace Kallen coined the term cultural pluralism to express the condition of a democratic nation which sustained, and was sustained by, many cultural traditions.

Note, however, that political philosophers such as Charles Blattberg have argued that negotiation can at best compromise rather than realise the common good. Doing the latter is said to require engaging in "conversation" instead, room for which is made within what Blattberg calls a patriotic, as distinct from pluralist, politics.

Conditions for pluralism For pluralism to function and to be successful in defining the common good, all groups have to agree to a minimal consensus regarding shared values, which tie the different groups to society, and shared rules for conflict resolution between the groups:

The most important value is that of mutual respect and tolerance, so that different groups can coexist and interact without anyone being forced to assimilation (sociology) to anyone else's position in conflicts that will naturally arise out of diverging interests and positions. These conflicts can only be resolved durably by dialogue which leads to compromise and to mutual understanding.

Examples of misapplied pluralism include cultural relativism, anarcho-capitalism, and post-modernism. Pluralism's tolerance for difference, its fostering of diversity, its promotion of different individuals' pursuit of variable modes of life and their expression of different cultural values does not conflate all cultures as more or less equal (multiculturalism), nor is it indifferent to some cultural differences that are unacceptable to social standards of decency, e.g., Genital modification and mutilation (cultural relativism), nor is it without cognizance of the need for social institutions to provide "space" for diversity to meet minimum standards of decency and order (anarcho-capitalism), nor is it silent or uncritical of inferior standards and values (post-modernism), but engages different social and personal values in a critical, but respectful, dialectic of reciprocal evaluation. Coercive action is used only when another mode of life or cultural expression causes harm, otherwise it engages in a dialogue of critical evaluation of different modes and expressions through persuasion. Unlike many of the misapplications, pluralism's tolerance is intolerant of intolerance (which is self-defeating and anti-pluralistic).

To illustrate, anarcho-capitalism takes self-ownership as a shared a priori value. Derived from this come the principles of Non-aggression principle and Labor theory of property. To resolve conflicts over the use of property, The Wealth of Nations#.22Both-Benefit.22 Transactions is conducted according to subjective theory of value. From the single shared value of self-ownership, voluntary trade thus enables individuals with differing values to resolve conflicts without resorting to violence.

Pluralism and subsidiarity However, the necessary consensus on rules and values should not unnecessarily limit different groups and individuals within society in their value decisions. According to the principle of subsidiarity, everything that need not be regulated within the general framework should be left to decide for subordinate groups and, in turn, to individuals so as to guarantee them a maximum amount of freedom.

In ultimate consequence, pluralism thus also implies the right for individuals to determine values and truths for themselves instead of being forced to follow the whole of society or, indeed, their own group.

See also

Polyarchy
List of democracy and elections-related topics
Liberal democracy
Particularism
Pluralism (political theory)
Global Centre for Pluralism

References In epistemology and ontology:

A Pluralistic Universe, William James (1909).

In political philosophy and ethics:

Morality and Conflict, Hampshire, Stuart (1983).
From Pluralist to Patriotic Politics, Charles Blattberg (2000).
Liberty, Isaiah Berlin (2002).
In the Beginning Was the Deed, Williams, Bernard (2005).
In Pursuit of Justice, Skillen, James W. (2006).
On legal pluralism and communities, see: Gad Barzilai, Communities and Law: Politics and Cultures of Legal Identities. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2003.

External links

Global Centre for Pluralism
The Pluralism Project at Harvard University

Centre for the History of Religious and Political Pluralism ...
Aims of the Centre The aims of the Centre for the History of Religious and Political Pluralism are to facilitate the study of the history of pluralism / diversity generally ...

Pluralism (political philosophy) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pluralism is, in the general sense, the acknowledgment of diversity. The concept is used, often in different ways, in a wide range of issues. In politics, pluralism is often ...

Centre for the History of Religious and Political Pluralism ...
Centre Publications 'The obstacles to pluralism in early modern France' The Adventure of Religious Pluralism in Early Modern France ed. K. Cameron, M.

Pluralism (political theory) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The political theory of pluralism holds that political power in society does not lie with the electorate, nor with a small concentrated elite, but is distributed between a wide ...

PLURALISM AND LIBERALISM IN THE POLITICAL THOUGHT OF ISAIAH BERLIN
1 PLURALISM AND LIBERALISM IN THE POLITICAL THOUGHT OF ISAIAH BERLIN Liberalism Panel PETER LASSMAN (Dept of Political Science and International Studies, University of Birmingham)

Political Pluralism
Political Pluralism - The lack of absolutes of right and wrong is the bane of politically pluralistic societies and will cause their degradation.

Political Pluralism, Arnold Kling | EconLog | Library of Economics and ...
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Theology, Political Theory, and Pluralism - Cambridge University Press
Theology, Political Theory, and Pluralism Beyond Tolerance and Difference Series: Cambridge Studies in Christian Doctrine (No. 15) Kristen Deede Johnson

Trade unions: a foundation of political pluralism? by Alastair J. Reid
Trade unions: a foundation of political pluralism?' by Alastair J. Reid, an article from History & Policy, the independent initiative working for better public policy through an ...

IngentaConnect Reconciling Pluralism and Consensus as Political Ideals
Abstract: While consensus is often taken to be the ideal way to secure political legitimacy, a more robust pluralism has many defenders too. We attempt to reconcile arguments for ...